Longwood Officials Frown On Sewer Funding

February 12, 1986|By Mark Andrews of The Sentinel Staff

LONGWOOD — Revenue from water rates should not be used to subsidize an expansion of the city's sewage treatment system, two city commissioners said Monday night. That's because almost 90 percent of the people who use city water are not served by its sewage treatment plants, said Commissioner Harvey Smerilson and Mayor Larry Goldberg.

''Residents from one side of town water customers would be subsidizing residents on the other side of town sewer customers,'' Goldberg said.

But if water revenues are not used to help pay sewer system costs, city sewer rates could more than double, a member of the city's consulting engineering firm told the commission.

Commissioners gave a tentative nod Monday night to an expansion of the Skylark plant to enable it to treat up to 600,000 gallons of wastewater per day. Skylark now is able to treat only 200,000 gallons per day and all its treatment capacity has been allocated.

The hitch is that the expansion, which could cost up to $2.5 million, is projected to serve the city's sewage treatment needs for only five or six years -- while it will take at least 10 years to pay for.

Acting City Administrator Greg Manning suggested that the city explore a partnership with Lake Mary to build a regional treatment plant.

In the meantime, though, commissioners favor abandoning the treatment plant at Columbus Harbour and diverting its sewage flow to the expanded Skylark plant, which could be ready by April 1987.

Because the Skylark property only has enough room for percolation ponds to dispose of about 350,000 gallons of treated sewage per day, consultants were asked to look for other city land that could be used for more percolation ponds or for spray irrigation.

Engineers from Dyer, Riddle, Precourt & Mills Inc. suggested that fixed residential sewer rates be raised from $12 per month to $17. Commercial rates, which now are sometimes lower than residential, would have a $17 monthly minimum.

But it was a proposal to divert $122,000 a year in water rate revenue to help pay for the sewer system that bothered commissioners. The city has about 4,200 water customers, but only 479 sewer customers.

Commissioners asked consultants to find another way to raise the money because water customers were promised that money from last year's rate increase would be used to improve the water system.